Pirlo was usually deployed as a deep-lying playmaker in midfield for both his club and national teams and he is widely regarded as one of the greatest ever exponents of this position due to his vision, ball control, creativity and passing ability, as well as for being a free-kick specialist. Pirlo began his club career as an attacking midfielder with his hometown club Brescia , whom he helped win a Serie B title and subsequent promotion to Serie A in His promising performances led to a move to Inter Milan in , but he struggled to gain playing time at his new club, and was sent on loan in Despite successful spells with Reggina and a return to Brescia, Pirlo was still unable to break into Inter's starting line-up and was sold to cross-city rivals A. Milan in At Milan, manager Carlo Ancelotti decided to transition Pirlo into a deep-lying playmaker to orchestrate the team's attacks. After playing in Italy for over 20 seasons, Pirlo joined Major League Soccer franchise New York City in , helping the team to reach the playoffs in his second and third seasons before retiring in